7 Ways Personal Development Has Changed Me
Tony Robbins Personal Power II 25 CD Set was my first taste of personal development. It was 1996 and I had been married about a year. I was 23 years old. Putting that CD into my Sony Walkman changed me. I had never heard anyone say the things he said. I was inspired. Honestly, I can’t remember all the information, but I do remember how it made me feel. It made me feel like I could accomplish anything; that nothing could stand in my way. That fat girl with low self-esteem and tons of potential was on fire. This was just the beginning for me. I was on a quest to change and had no intention of stopping until I was changed. I realize now that I will never be done changing, but I do recognize how far I have come and the positive changes that have occurred in my life since I started the journey of personal growth and development.
Self-Awareness
I realize a lot of people go through life not having a clear understanding of their inner thoughts. It seems to be even more common in our current age of distraction. Getting a clear understanding of not just what we know about ourselves, but also how we view others can be key to how we manage ourselves and our relationships. For example, each and every morning I take a moment to replay a situation from the day before that didn’t go well; maybe a meeting at work. Then I decide if I would have handled it better. This consistent exercise of reflection has improved all areas of my life. Understanding myself better has been one of the most important things I have gotten from personal development.
Enhanced Decision-Making Abilities
Once I began to better understand myself, my goals and my core values, I began making better decisions in all areas of my life. Now that I knew what I wanted out of my life, my job, my relationships, I then began to understand how the decisions (both big and small) were affecting those areas of my life. If you are taking a trip across country and you know you are going north you can likely get out of your house and get started without knowing too much. You know to get on the freeway and just start going, but eventually, you will need more information if you want to be able to decide the best routes to take to arrive at your destination. The more you know about yourself the better, and faster, you can be at making the right decision to get you to your destination.
Importance of Goals
You know the adage, “A goal without a plan is just a wish.” After listening to hours of Tony Robbins I realized that without some proper goal setting I was likely never going to achieve my goals. I took out a piece of paper and just wrote down two simple goals at age 23; get out of debt and finish college. While I applaud the effort of actually writing them down, I never actually made a plan. It took me many more years to achieve those goals than it should have. The more I studied personal growth and development the more I understood why. They lacked a plan and a deadline. Now my goal setting has evolved into a simple and systematic process. I have many books, blogs, and tools to thank for building my goal setting muscle.
Motivation
Nothing motivates me more than a goal with a plan. Understanding what motivates me is part of having a strong sense of self-awareness. Everyone is motivated differently and understanding your own motivation comes from research, reflection, and experience. I know I am an achiever and I am motivated by accomplishing my goals. This is why I set up small, achievable goals that build up to my bigger goal. I am motivated by the small successes. Learning that about myself and the process and tools needed to define those small achievements comes from a focus on continual personal growth.
Grit
I didn’t even know what grit really was until I read Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance
. This is a character trait that I likely had as a child but continued to build as I progressed on my personal development journey. As we experience tough times in our lives we need to make sure we have the skills and intelligence to get through them. The time to build this skills isn’t when we are going through the tough times, it is before. Better to be prepared when the tough times hit so we are able to get through them better and faster.
. This is a character trait that I likely had as a child but continued to build as I progressed on my personal development journey. As we experience tough times in our lives we need to make sure we have the skills and intelligence to get through them. The time to build this skills isn’t when we are going through the tough times, it is before. Better to be prepared when the tough times hit so we are able to get through them better and faster.Better Relationships
Being married is hard. Being a parent is hard. Being a friend is hard. Being alone is harder than all of those. I believe healthy relationships are the foundation of a healthy life. I have read numerous books on being a better wife, raising boys, being there for others and understanding what it means to practice servant-based leadership. While I haven’t gotten all my growth from books alone, they have made a huge impact. When my marriage isn’t doing well, everything suffers. I know that about me and I chose to learn and grow that relationship to the best of my abilities. The skills I have developed over time is part of the reason I have been married 23 years. It is the same reason I have such a good relationship with my teenage boys. I work at it and know I am not always right….just most of the time. 😃
Optimism
When I know where I am going, have the skills to get there and have the emotional support I need I feel hopeful. All the things I have listed so far create a general sense of excitement for my life. I am hopeful about what is ahead of me and know that even when tough times hit I have the grit and determination to get through them. Don’t get me wrong, I have my bad days, but they don’t last long before I am back on track and feeling excited about my life.